The Herrin Tigers will face off against the Mt. Vernon Rams at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Herrin is coming into the contest hot, having won their last 11 games.
It was a proper cat-fight when Herrin took on Carterville on Saturday. Herrin came out on top against Carterville by a score of 61-50. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 48th, while the Lions are ranked 270th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jared Staple jr.
| 12/28/24 vs Carterville | 24 |
| 12/28/24 vs Harrisburg | 18 |
| 12/26/24 vs Carrier Mills-Stonefort | 17 |
| 12/27/24 vs Anna-Jonesboro | 13 |
| 12/21/24 vs Freeburg | 11 |
Herrin had a senior duo take command as Jared Staple Jr. went 7 of 13 en route to 24 points and Kyrese Lukens went 6 for 11 on his way to 19 points and five rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Staple Jr. has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Grady Cox, who posted seven points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Mt. Vernon suffered their closest defeat since November 30th on Saturday. They fell just short of Alton by a score of 45-43. The Rams have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Herrin will have to keep a close watch on Jake Page and Cale Maurer, a pair of players who had a big impact on Mt. Vernon's prior game. Page put up 12 points, while Maurer had eight points and five rebounds. Those 12 points gave Page a new career-high. David Barnes was another key player, putting up eight points and three steals.
Herrin's victory bumped their record up to 13-1. As for Mt. Vernon, their loss dropped their record down to 7-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Herrin has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 26 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Mt. Vernon struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Herrin lost to Mt. Vernon at home by a decisive 55-41 margin in their previous meeting back in January. Thankfully for Herrin, Navontae D Nesbit Jr. (who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
